Positioning device for correcting mislinked ammunition

ABSTRACT

A device for correctly positioning mislinked ammunition in a linked ammunition belt, including, a toothed wheel supported from an open-ended housing through which the belt passes, wherein the wheel teeth engage the bullet ends of individual rounds for automatically realigning said mislinked rounds with respect to the other rounds in the belt.

United States Patent Robert W. Henshnw Shelburne, Vt.

Jan. 2, 1968 Aug. 3, 1971 General Electric Company Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee POSITIONING DEVICE FOR CORRECTING MISLINKED AMMUNITION 6 Claims, 9 Drawing Figs.

U.S.Cl 89/33C F4lf9/00 FieldolSearch ..89/33,33.l, 33.14, 33.l5, 33.l6, 33.17, 33.2, 33.25, 34, 35, 35.1

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,180,741 ll/I939 Lisov 89/33 (.17)

FOREIGN PATENTS 793,371 4/1958 Great Britain 89/33 (.2)

Primary Examiner-Benjamin A. Borchelt Assistant ExaminerStephen C. Bentley Attorneys-Harry C. Burgess, Irving M. Freedman, F rank L.

Neuhauser, Oscar B. Waddel], Bailin L. Kuch and Joseph B. Form an ABSTRACT: A device for correctly positioning mislinked ammunition in a linked ammunition belt, including, a toothed wheel supported from an open-ended housing through which the belt passes, wherein the wheel teeth engage the bullet ends of individual rounds for automatically realigning said mislinked rounds with respect to the other rounds in the belt.

ROBERT w. HENSHAW,

ms ATTORNEY.

PATENTEBAUG 3|97l 3,596,557

SHEET 2 OF 2 F|G5o 70 /A R 72 32 4lb 4lb W 4lo w" 4 4w v l INVEINTDRZ I ROBERT W. HENSHAW BY C- W HIS ATTORNEY.

POSITIONING lllllEVllUE lFOllk CORRECTING MISLINKED AMMUNITION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates primarily to ammunition feed mechanisms for a variety of high rate of fire weapons including machine guns using cartridge ammunition in linked belt form.

Conventional ammunition feed systems for belt fed automatic or semiautomatic firearms include an arrangement whereby a plurality of links are pivotally hinged together, to form the belt, each link containing an individual round of ammunition which is transported by the belt for removal at the gun in a stripping or loading operation. Typically, machine gun ammunition conveyor systems employing disintegrating belts comprising individual link elements include means for stripping the elements from the ammunition. In one known device, for example, end stripping of the link is accomplished by holding the link while the ammunition round or cartridge is pushed out of the link in the axial direction. Also, an improved side stripping mechanism has recently been employed, such a mechanism being disclosed in the U.S. patent of common assignment 3,333,506, entitled Side Stripping Mechanism For Linked Ammunition" issued to Henshaw et al. In addition to the requirement for more efficient and reliable means to remove the individual links from the rounds or cartridges be fore they are fed to the gun firing mechanism other problems have occurred with the use of belted type ammunition. For example, displacement or misalignment of the bullet too far forward or too far rearward in the belt, with respect to the longitudinal centerline thereof, may occur in loading or afterward, due to normal vibrations of the ammunition storage compartment or sudden stopping and starting movements of the belt. Typically, the belt is encased in a flexible chute comprised of a number of separate covering pieces loosely con- .nected together to protect the belt. Even with this, however,

fanning and twisting of the chute may cause the rounds to get bumped at the bullet end or the primer end, resulting in a mislink. Also in manual connecting of factory linked belts frequently the cartridges are mislinked or not inserted in the individual link loops in the proper axial position. The problem is even more prevalent in the smaller size ammunition, e.g., 5.56 mm. or 7.62 mm., where either the ammunition is more prone to mishandling because of the smaller size, or extremely long belts are used, which complicates the mechanical loading problem.

While a number of devices are known for axially adjusting the rounds or cartridges as they are transferred from the belt to the gun breach or loading area, such devices are not particularly suited for the problem solved by my invention. For example, the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,478,219 to Young, 2,073,632 and 2,121,794 to Green and 3,000,265 to Robinson are solely concerned with positioning the cartridge in, and relative to the gun bolt or breach mechanism. On the other hand, it would also be desirable to have means for detecting and correcting the relative axial position of any mislinked cartridges in the belt as it leaves the storage area and passes into the chute, thereby protecting more expensive equipment such as the weapon and transfer mechanism downstream in the system. Another advantage would be that valuable time would be saved in eliminating the need to visually check the belts during the loading of the storage means and/or the weapon. This par ticularly significant during reloading under enemy fire.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the subject invention to provide a device for correcting the position of mislinked ammunition rounds in a belted or linked ammunition system.

A more specific object of the subject invention is to provide a device for correctly positioning the longitudinal axes of individual rounds relative to the longitudinal axis of a linked belt containing the rounds prior to delivery of the ammunition to a delinking mechanism, such as a gun feeder or ammunition storage drum. 1

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 7 In a disclosed embodiment of the invention for use with belted ammunition l provide means to correctly position rounds in the belt including, an open-ended housing defining a passage through which the linked rounds pass in a manner such that the respective bullet and primer ends of the rounds are in close opposition to the housing side walls, and a camming wheel mounted adjacent one of said side walls and rotatable about a center fixed with respect to the side walls. Theccamming, or relinking wheel, has a plurality of circumferentially spaced teeth on its periphery which extend through an opening 'in one of the sidewalls and into the path of the bullet ends of rounds moving through the housing. Adjacent divergent camming surfaces on the wheel teeth define a null area therebetween which locates the bullet end engaged thereby, as the wheel is revolved, to correctly align the longitudinal axis of the round, with respect to preceding and succeeding and succeeding rounds in said belt, equi-laterally of the longitudinal axis of the belt.

Other objects and advantages of my invention, while distinctly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, will be made more clear by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred form of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 11 is a pictorial schematic of an automatic gun and feed system incorporating the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view, partially broken away and partially in cross section illustrating the relative positions of mislinked and correctly linked rounds in the system, and the relinking wheel of my invention;

FIG. 3 is a view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4a, 4b, and 4c illustrate schematically the manner in which a round mislinked forwardly of its normal position is relinked; and

FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c are similar schematic illustrations of a round being relinked, after having been mislinked on a rearward location.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Turning now to the drawings, indicated schematically at 10 in FIG. 11 is a typical high rate of fire automatic machine gun of the Gatling-gun variety. Such weapons currently in the military arsenal have very high rates of fire up to and exceeding 6,000 shots per minute (s.p.m.). The gun, forming no part of the present invention, which will work equally as well in any other type of semiautomatic or fully automatic weapon system utilizing belted ammunition, is more specifically described in detail in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,849,921 to Otto. For the purposes of the present description, however, it will be observed that the gun comprises a plurality of barrels 12 mounted on a rotor 14 for rotation about a common gun axis. The rotor is rotatably supported in a housing 16 to which is attached a feeder mechanism of a conventional type, located generally on the housing at 18. The feeder mechanism is connected to an ammunition storage device or container 20 by means of a flexible chute 22 typical of a known variety useful in such a weapon system, such as that shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,351,370 to Schaaff. Intermediate the entrance end of the chute and the ammunition container is the device of the present invention, indicated generally at 24.

Turning to FIG. 2, it will be seen more clearly that the typical belted ammunition system comprises individual cartridges or rounds R held together by a plurality of metal links 26. It is to be understood that the link shown is a known type of link and forms no part of the present invention. Each link consists of essentially C-shaped loops 26a and 26b which are coaxial about a first common axis. The third loop 36c has a second axis, so that both axes are parallel to each other with the double loops being spaced apart, as shown, and the space between loops 26a and 26b being adapted to receive a single central loop 260. It will thus be understood that the area on either side of a single center loop 26c of one link receives the spaced apart double loops 26a and 26b of an adjoining link. The

rounds of ammunition therefore lie along the loop axes, being clipped by and cradled in three loops, two of which are double loops and third of which is a single loop of a preceding adjacent link. A more complete description of a typical link-belt arrangement may be found in the aforementioned US. Pat No. 3,333,506 to Henshaw et al.

Turning now more specifically to a description of the device of the present invention, indicated generally at 30 in FIGS. 2 and 3, is a housing. The housing is generally rectangular in shape having a pair of spaced apart top and bottom walls 31 and 32, respectively, supported by a pair of sidewalls 33 and 34, also respectively. The aforementioned walls form an open ended, boxlike structure. For ease of construction and assembly the box may actually be formed of two pieces, as shown, wherein the top piece has a pair of flanges 31a and 31b at either extremity thereof which overlap and project vertically over the end walls. The housing, therefore, surrounds a passage 36 adapted to receive the belt of linked ammunition, previously described and shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The primary feature of the "mislink" correcting device of my invention is a toothed relinking wheel, indicated generally at 40. In the embodiment shown, the wheel comprises teeth, one of which is indicated at 4], equally spaced about the periphery of the wheel, a central bore 42, and an axle 44. The axle is supported by upper and lower pad means 46 and 48 respectively, attached to or integral with the housing. Also included are bearing means 50 to permit free movement of the wheel which is idling, i.e., self-powered by movement of the ammunition belt through the housing passage 36. The axle or shaft 44 of the relinking wheel 40 is essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the passage through which the ammunition belt moves when entrained in the housing. As shown in the drawing, wheel 40 projects inwardly of the housing passage, through an opening 51, whereby the teeth may be contacted by the rounds as hereinafter described in detail. Another feature of my invention, particularly suited to handle an occurrence ofa plurality of mislinked rounds in one area of the belt is a pair of idler sprockets, indicated generally at 52 and 54, respectively. The idler sprockets are supported on a shaft 56 having reduced end portions at 56a and 56b at either extremity of the shaft. The end portions 56:: and 5612 are adapted to be received in slots 60 and 61 in the respective housing sidewalls 33 and 34, which slots are then essentially closed off by the overlapping top wall flanges 31a and 31b, respectively, for ease of disassembly. The idler wheels may be maintained axially of the housing by spacers 62-62 on shaft 56. It will also be noted that the idler wheels project out through a pair of identical 64 openings laterally spaced in the top wall 31 of the housing. Also provided in the embodiment shown is a step or sidewall, indicated generally at 70 in FIG. 2, having a chamfered leading edge 70a. The function of the step or sidewall, which slidingly supports the base or primer ends of the moving rounds R, is described hereinafter in detail. Also provided is a pad indicated generally at 72 in FIG. 3 which functions a positioning or leveling device. As seen in the drawing the bullet ends of the rounds R have a smaller diameter than the cartridge base or primer ends. Therefore means 72 are desirable to maintain the longitudinal axis of the round or cartridge essentially parallel to the housing bottom wall 32.

Operation of the device will now be described, with particular reference to FIGS. 40-40 and 5a--5c. In the sequence seen in FIGS. 40 through 4c, the middle cartridge or round R is mislinked forwardly of the longitudinal belt axis. As will be seen, the relinking wheel 40 is so shaped and positioned that it will rotate when acted upon by the bullet end of the individual rounds moving through the housing passage 36. In the case of a cartridge which is mislinked or incorrectly positioned forward of its normal position with respect to the longitudinal axis of the belt the bullet nose of the round first engages the tooth indicated at 41a as the round passes from the step portion to a position immediately over the surface of the end wall. At this point, as shown in FIG. 4a, the bullet nose is resting along a side or lateral camming surface 80 of tooth 41a.

Further movement of the belt brings the bullet nose of the middle cartridge R into ajuxtaposition with a null, or middle area, indicated at point 410 in FIG. 412, between the respective camming surfaces and 81 of adjacent teeth 41a and 41b of the relinking wheel. The distance between the centerline of shaft 44 (point 74 in FIG. 4b), and the null point 41c where divergent surfaces 80, 81 meet, and the distance between said null point and the surface of sidewall 34 will be so adjusted and arranged that the middle cartridgedepending on its caliber in a given weapon systemcan be correctly positioned with respect to the longitudinal belt axis. Therefore when null point 41c has moved into a position whereby its inside surface of wall 34 of the housing (at the right in the drawing) is at a minimum the bullet or projectile point will have been captured between the adjacent camming surfaces of teeth 41a and 41b as shown in FIG. 40. Thus, the middle cartridge R will essentially be positioned on a line with the adjacent rounds as the belt moves on out of passage 36 and free of the housing.

If, on the other hand, as shown in FIGS. Sa-Sc, a cartridge or round R is mislinked rearward it will be in contact with the step wall indicated at 70. This will cause the middle cartridge R" in the drawing, however, which is properly linked or connected to the mislinked cartridge R, to protrude forward beyond the mislinked cartridge, as shown in FIG. 5a. The protruding cartridge will contact relinking wheel tooth 41a and, while it is in the correct position with repect to the belt axis, subsequent rotation will result in a camming action on this cartridge, as shown in FIG. 5b. In this instance the camming action of surfaces 80, 81 being operative on the correctly positioned round R which has been cause to protrude slightly in the belt causes the link on the mislinked round R to slide back along the case. This results in the mislinked round being correctly linked, or pushed to the correct axial position in the link element loops. Thus, in this latter case, the relinking wheel 40 has performed a similar function as it did in the case ofa round mislinked in the forward direction, but has instead, been operating on the cartridge or round immediately adjacent and ahead of the cartridge or round which is actually mislinked rearwardly. It will be observed, therefore, that the purpose of the step or platform 70 on the sidewall 34 is to take up the looseness existing due to the differences between the width of the double loops 26a, 26b and the width of the single loop 26c in the next adjacent or preceding link connected thereto by insertion of the round.

It has been observed that the two idler or sprocket wheels 52, 54 are mounted on shaft 56, the axis of which is perpendicular but does not intersect with the centerline 74 of the relinking wheel shaft 44. These sprockets, by engagement of their teeth 52a, 54a, respectively, with the main body cartridge case portion of the rounds R, counteract the tipping component or motion of the round, if any, caused by the camming action or force of the relinking wheel as it operates to adjust or correctly position a mislinked round. Thus, the idler sprockets eliminate or minimize any overturning or yawing movement which might otherwise be present in the belt during operation of the relinking wheel thereon. The sprocket wheels are freely rotating on shaft 56, revolving as the belt is pulled through the housing passage and, thus, need not be separately actuated or powered.

I have, therefore, described a device which will adjust the individual rounds of belted ammunition prior to the belt being exhausted from an ammunition container or can and passed into the feeder mechanism or chute. Other obvious uses for the device include checking for mislinked rounds prior to loading the ammunition boxes. It could also be used as a portable device to check belts before they are used for test firing or actual combat purposes.

While I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of this invention other modifications and variations will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and it is intended to cover within the claims appended hereto all such changes as are within the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth herein.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An ammunition handling system including: an ammunition belt comprising:

a plurality of rounds, each having a bullet end and a primer end, disposed in a common orientation in a substantially side-by-side parallel relationship by a plurality of clips;

each clip having two distal spaced-apart, open loop, portions disposed on and coaxial with a respective round, and a medial, open loop portion disposed on and coaxial with the next adjacent round between the respective distal loop portions of the next adjacent clip; and

means for assuring the longitudinal alignment of each round in the respective distal loop portions in which it is disposed, comprising passageway means for receiving said belt, said rounds passing sequentially along a path through said passageway means,

platform means disposed in said passageway means adjacent said primer ends of said rounds, and adapted to limit longitudinal movement of each round in the primer end direction,

means having a plurality of camming surfaces, spaced from said platform means adjacent said bullet ends of said rounds, and adapted to engage the bullet end of each round in sequence as said round passes transversely between said platform means and said camming surfaces, adjacent ones of said camming surfaces being divergent from a common null area forming a junction of said adjacent surfaces,

means supporting said camming surfaces means for movement thereof about a center fixed with respect to said platform means;

whereby while said rounds pass progressively and sequentially between said platform means and said camming surfaces means, initially the bullet end of a preceding round engages a first one of a pair of adjacent camming surfaces while the primer end of the next succeeding round abuts said platform means, and, subsequently, said bullet end of said preceding round is cammed, as a result of movement of said pair of camming surfaces about said center, into said null area, which null area longitudinally limits the movement of said preceding round in the bullet end direction, thereby causing, in the event of a misalignment of the preceding round in its distal portions of its clip in the bullet end direction, or in the event of a misalignment of the next succeeding round in its distal portions of its clip in the primer end direction, relative movement between the medial loop portion of the preceding clip and the distal portions of the succeeding clip which are both on the succeeding round and relative movement between the misaligned round and its respective distal loop portions. 2. A system according to claim I wherein: said medial loop portion of said preceding clip has a longitudinal width which is narrower by a given length than the longitudinal width of this space between the distal loop portions of said succeeding clip, thereby permitting longitudinal play between said clips equal to said given length; and said platform means includes a first portion, relatively upstream along said path of travel of said rounds, and a second portion, relatively downstream, said portions having a longitudinal step therebetween equal to said given length; whereby when said bullet end of said preceding round engages said camming means, said primer end thereof is adjacent said second portion of said platform means, and said primer end of said next succeeding round abuts said first portion of said platform means. 3. A system according to claim 2 wherein: said means providing camming surfaces is a star wheel. 4. A system according to claim 3 wherein: when said preceding round is longitudinally misaligned with the bullet end too close to said star wheel, said star wheel moves said round towards said second portion of said platform means, initially moving the medial loop of said preceding clip into abutment with the stationary succeeding clip, and subsequently moving the preceding round with respect to the now stationary preceding clip.

5. A system according to claim 3 wherein:

when said succeeding round is longitudinally misaligned with the bullet end too far from said star wheel, said star wheel moves the preceding round towards said second portion of said platform means, initially moving the media] loop of said preceding clip into abutment with the succeeding clip, and subsequently moving the succeeding clip with respect to the stationary succeeding round.

6. A system according to claim 3 further including a pair of sprocket wheels, journaled on an axis parallel to the longitudinal axes of said rounds, and adapted to sequentially engage each round as it is respectively engaged by said star wheel to constrain said round to longitudinal movement along a path parallel to the longitudinal axis of the next succeeding round. 

1. An ammunition handling system including: an ammunition belt comprising: a plurality of rounds, each having a bullet end and a primer end, disposed in a common orientation in a substantially sideby-side parallel relationship by a plurality of clips; each clip having two distal spaced-apart, open loop, portions disposed on and coaxial with a respective round, and a medial, open loop portion disposed on and coaxial with the next adjacent round between the respective distal loop portions of the next adjacent clip; and means for assuring the longitudinal alignment of each round in the respective distal loop portions in which it is disposed, comprising passageway means for receiving said belt, said rounds passing sequentially along a path through said passageway means, platform means disposed in said passageway means adjacent said primer ends of said rounds, and adapted to limit longitudinal movement of each round in the primer end direction, means having a plurality of camming surfaces, spaced from said platform means adjacent said bullet ends of said rounds, and adapted to engage the bullet end of each round in sequence as said round passes transversely between said platform means and said camming surfaces, adjacent ones of said camming surfaces being divergent from a common null area forming a junction of said adjacent surfaces, means supporting said camming surfaces means for movement thereof about a center fixed with respect to said platform means; whereby while said rounds pass progressively and sequentially between said platform means and said camming Surfaces means, initially the bullet end of a preceding round engages a first one of a pair of adjacent camming surfaces while the primer end of the next succeeding round abuts said platform means, and, subsequently, said bullet end of said preceding round is cammed, as a result of movement of said pair of camming surfaces about said center, into said null area, which null area longitudinally limits the movement of said preceding round in the bullet end direction, thereby causing, in the event of a misalignment of the preceding round in its distal portions of its clip in the bullet end direction, or in the event of a misalignment of the next succeeding round in its distal portions of its clip in the primer end direction, relative movement between the medial loop portion of the preceding clip and the distal portions of the succeeding clip which are both on the succeeding round and relative movement between the misaligned round and its respective distal loop portions.
 2. A system according to claim 1 wherein: said medial loop portion of said preceding clip has a longitudinal width which is narrower by a given length than the longitudinal width of this space between the distal loop portions of said succeeding clip, thereby permitting longitudinal play between said clips equal to said given length; and said platform means includes a first portion, relatively upstream along said path of travel of said rounds, and a second portion, relatively downstream, said portions having a longitudinal step therebetween equal to said given length; whereby when said bullet end of said preceding round engages said camming means, said primer end thereof is adjacent said second portion of said platform means, and said primer end of said next succeeding round abuts said first portion of said platform means.
 3. A system according to claim 2 wherein: said means providing camming surfaces is a star wheel.
 4. A system according to claim 3 wherein: when said preceding round is longitudinally misaligned with the bullet end too close to said star wheel, said star wheel moves said round towards said second portion of said platform means, initially moving the medial loop of said preceding clip into abutment with the stationary succeeding clip, and subsequently moving the preceding round with respect to the now stationary preceding clip.
 5. A system according to claim 3 wherein: when said succeeding round is longitudinally misaligned with the bullet end too far from said star wheel, said star wheel moves the preceding round towards said second portion of said platform means, initially moving the medial loop of said preceding clip into abutment with the succeeding clip, and subsequently moving the succeeding clip with respect to the stationary succeeding round.
 6. A system according to claim 3 further including a pair of sprocket wheels, journaled on an axis parallel to the longitudinal axes of said rounds, and adapted to sequentially engage each round as it is respectively engaged by said star wheel to constrain said round to longitudinal movement along a path parallel to the longitudinal axis of the next succeeding round. 